Page 6 - December 2020 Issue.indd

Queen Anne’s Counties was combined again, because of poor attendance.
There is more to the story to form a separate county. The members, this time, were directed

about the Tuckahoe Neck to attend meetings in Denton at the
The first mention of Quakerism, in
Quaker Meetinghouse that what would become Caroline County, Tuckahoe Neck Meetinghouse which
was not included in the appears at Marshy Creek near Preston opened in 1802.
November issue. The story in 1727. This was a very prosperous Two other Meetings, Centre near
is below in its entirety. Meeting and remained in operation Concord and Northwest Fork at
until 1946. Although it was known by Federalsburg, had a diff erent beginning.
three different names, Marshy Creek, Originally, these buildings served as
A Historic Treasure Snowhill, and Preston, and housed in a meeting place for a sect known as

three different structures over time, the the Nicholites or New Quakers. This
Hidden in Plain
membership grew and fl ourished. sect was led by Joseph Nichols of Kent
Sight County, Delaware and it eventually

The last meetinghouse, a large red brick
spread into Maryland, especially
building, was constructed in 1904 and
Caroline County. Nichols was born
“laid down”, closed in 1946.
The Tuckahoe Neck Quaker
about 1730 in Kent County, Delaware
Meetinghouse
In the more northern area of what and began his ministry about 1760 as a
Sitting slightly west of the intersection was to become Caroline County, a result of a traumatic incident in his life.
of Route 328 and Meetinghouse Road meetinghouse was constructed at He was a very charismatic leader and
(Business Route 404) in Denton, is the “Nine Bridges” (the Bridgetown area) was able to draw others into “obedience
1802 Quaker Meetinghouse known as in 1733. The Quakers in this area felt to the Inward Director and a life of
Tuckahoe Neck. This is the last standing it was too far and too diffi cult to travel austerity”. The Nicholite tenets were

meetinghouse in Caroline County to the Chester Meetinghouse in Queen similar to those of the Quakers; anti-
representative of what was once a vibrant Anne’s County. From the start, “Nine slavery, opposition to war, and a life of
religion in the area. Most of us pass by Bridges” suff ered from low attendance self denial, but in many ways more strict.
unaware of the significance and some and infrequency of meetings. All of the

people no longer see the The movement
building as it has become continued to grow
part of the landscape. but, unfortunately,
Joseph Nichols died
Caroline County has a in December 1770.
rich religious history,
Ma n y of h i s
unfortunately, some of this
fol l owe rs we re
history has faded from our
convinced of his zeal
collective memory. Th is is
and continued to
certainly true of the sect
embrace his views.
known as the Society of
It is reported that
Friends or the Quakers.
as many as 1,000
The following is a brief
people attended
history.
some of the open
The history of this sect meetings. Many of
on the Eastern Shore of the members moved
Maryland goes back to from Delaware into
1659 when the Quakers in Caroline County
Talbot County established a n d in 1784 a
the Third Haven Meetinghouse. This meetings held in Caroline County were Nicolite Meetinghouse, Centre, was
Meetinghouse is the oldest wooden under the direction of Th e Th ird Haven established at Concord and the next
structure in continuous use as a house Monthly Meeting and the continuation year a second one, Northwest Fork was
of worship in the United States. It is of meetings was determined by it. In opened in Federalsburg. Because of
only natural as the population grew and 1791, it was decided the few remaining their similar views the Quakers and the
expanded into other geographic areas members of “Nine Bridges” would join Nicolites began to meet together. As time
that the interest in Quakerism would the Greensboro (Greensborough) or passed,the Nicolite sect began to fade
follow. “Choptank Bridge” group who at the time due to their very strict tenants.
met in members homes. A meetinghouse
Caroline County was not established as Starting in 1797, there was a flood of
was not constructed in Greensboro until
a political and geographic entity until requests to transfer to the Quaker sect.
1795 and was discontinued in 1807,
1793 when land from Dorchester and Eventually, the Centre building was
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